House buyers are bringing about a sales boom for Bellway builders

BRITONS are falling back in love with buying houses, helping sales boom, said housebuilder Bellway.

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Wed, Feb 12, 2014

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The increased interest in house purchasing has done Bellway well [GETTY/MODEL USED]

Government mortgage loan products such as Help to Buy helped to stimulate housing demand and accounted for a third of its 3,245 house sales in the six months to January 31, up 25 per cent on last year. Weekly reservations stood at 137, up from 97, with forward orders on 3,836 homes, up from 2,467 a year ago and worth £783million.

Average prices rose 13 per cent to £212,000 helped by London demand for expensive flats and four-bedroom homes in the North. “The UK has an affinity with housing, and being given the chance of home-ownership after years of struggling to get deposits has led to a feel-good factor returning,” said chief executive Ted Ayres.

“That in turn has led to housebuilders building more homes, taking on more builders, using more suppliers and playing a key role in the country’s economic revival. Even if interest rates do rise there is so much demand it won’t be knocked.”

Bellway has said it will continue to invest in new land helped by an increase in planning permissions. Its shares rose 45p to 1657p.